Rajiv Gandhi Assassin Scores 91 Percent in Standard 12 Exam

Bangalore: A G Perarivalan, one of the three convicts on death row in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case has scored more than 91 percent in the Tamil Nadu class 12 examinations. Perarivalan, 37, scored 1,096 out of 1,200 marks and tops the list among 35 prisoners who wrote the examination in March.

Perarivalan is to face the gallows, along with Murugan and Santhan. The three convicts had sought a stay on their execution on the ground that the President had taken 11 long years in deciding their mercy pleas after the apex court rejected their petition in August last year.

Perarivalan was 19 years old when he was picked up by the CBI in June, 1991. He was charged with supporting the assassination by buying a nine-volt battery to assemble a bomb for Sivarasan, one of the assassins. He is the youngest accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Perarivalan is a passionate reader and has been fond of poetry and the teachings of Tamil saint poet Thiruvalluvar.

Another prisoner Soundarapandian in Madurai prison has scored 1080 marks (90 percent) and a convict in Puzhal prison Munusamy has scored 988 (82.33 percent) in the class 12 examination. The results of the Class 12 examinations were released by the Tamil Nadu education department today.

S K Dogra, Additional director general of police (ADGP - Prisons) expressed his happiness with the results. He said "In 2011, only 19 prisoners took the class 12 exam. This year the number doubled. All the 35 inmates who wrote the exam have passed," as reported by The Economic Times.